What is the ruling on removing hair from the arms and legs for men and women?

The questioner : What is the ruling on removing hair from the arms and legs for men and women?

The Shaykh : Know, O Muslim, that hair removal falls into three categories: removal that is commanded, removal that is forbidden, and removal about which there is no specific ruling. The principle is that what Allah and His Messenger have commanded is to be done, what they have forbidden is to be left, and what they have remained silent about is permissible. The hair that is commanded to be removed is the moustache for the man, the armpit hair for both the man and the woman, and the pubic hair for both the man and the woman as well. The hair whose removal is forbidden is the beard; it is forbidden for a man to shave his beard, because it is a disobedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in his saying, "Differ from the Magians," or . Also, among the forbidden hair removal is plucking the eyebrows (nams), which is when a woman plucks her eyebrows to beautify herself for her husband or for the daughters of Adam. This is forbidden and not permissible, and it is one of the major sins, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the one who plucks her eyebrows. As for the hair on the legs and the hair on the arms, there is no specific ruling regarding it; there is no prohibition in the Sunnah against it, nor a command to keep it. Therefore, we say that if a person, whether male or female, removes it, there is no blame on him, and if he keeps it, there is no blame on him. However, keeping it is better, unless it reaches a level of disfigurement where it becomes excessive hair that distorts his appearance; in that case, there is no harm in reducing it. I said that keeping it is better because Allah the Exalted mentioned regarding Iblis that he said . So, this hair removal without a command from the Lawgiver may be a form of changing the creation of Allah, which is one of the commands of Satan. For this reason, I say that it should not be removed unless it is disfiguring. However, I do not say it is forbidden, because it is a matter about which there is no specific ruling.

Another questioner : Is it not a change in creation?

The Shaykh : he.

Another questioner : Removing the hair on your legs.

The Shaykh : I told you there is a possibility in it.

Another questioner : If it is not established regarding it.

The Shaykh : No, it is a matter about which there is no specific ruling, because the change may be... this is not a change in reality, it is not a complete change, but the change is like when a person changes his teeth or something similar.

Another questioner : Cutting the hair on the head of a woman.

The Shaykh : As for the hair on the head, for the man, the correct view in my opinion is that it is among the customary matters, not among the acts of worship. A person should follow what people are accustomed to, whether in keeping it or shaving it. Some scholars hold that keeping the hair on the head is an act of worship, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept his head hair and did not shave it except in Hajj or 'Umrah. So, in my opinion, it is a customary matter because no act of worship was manifested in it; so leave it according to the custom of people. However, if someone considers it a recommended practice (sunnah) and adopts it while being careful to adhere to the Sunnah, we do not deny him. But we deny those who adopt the head hair and say, "We adopt it following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)," while they shave their beards. Where is the following of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Shaving your beard is a disobedience to the Messenger, and you keep your head hair which the Messenger did not command, and you claim that you are following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Some of them may not even pray, may Allah protect us from that, and say that they are following the Messenger by keeping their head hair, but it is a habit of a clumsy person that does not benefit from the truth at all. As for the woman, a woman does not take anything from her head except in Hajj or 'Umrah. Some scholars have explicitly stated that it is forbidden for a woman to shave her head except for an excuse, such as if there are wounds that cannot be treated except by shaving it; in that case, there is no harm. In any case, it is better for the woman to maintain keeping her head hair, and our women should not adopt what has come to us from the customs of others. They should not take it as a profit to snatch up whenever they see a custom coming from others and adopt it as a path and methodology, so that customs change, and perhaps, consequently, acts of worship change.